PN’s future-focused campaign is changing the rules of the game 

This is a very different sort of election campaign from the Nationalist Party. 

No billboards showing the Prime Minister looking tired or confused, no grayscale TV ads with doom-and-gloom music, no warnings that the very future of Malta’s democracy is on the line. 

Alex Borg hasn’t attacked a single businessman for being “close to the Government” and he didn’t react to Joseph Muscat’s criticism of his energy policies by reminding the nation of what happened a decade ago. 

He didn’t even try and take political mileage out of the Omar Rababah controversy, which has clearly annoyed many PL supporters.

Interestingly, he hasn’t even tried to make the election about ‘Maltese vs foreigners’ or overpopulation. He was probably aware that PL would have reacted by challenging PN on what would happen to the jobs currently occupied by third-country nationals, questions the PN has never had answers to.

Gone too is the PN’s vague rhetoric about introducing a new economic model.

Instead, Dr Borg has used the election to propose a long-term vision for Malta – a cultural hub in Marsa, a wellness centre in Selmun, a shipping ‘petrol station’ at Hurd’s Bank, the elimination of the inheritance tax and an update to the eco-contribution system to cater for the many people who live by themselves. 

Most of these proposals have come with costings and a certain sense of systematic know-how that has long been missing from the party. 

Meanwhile, PL appears to be focusing more on short-term proposals and quick wins, although its Vision 2050 document will go some way towards reinforcing its image as a future-focused party.

Is this strategic change enough for a PN victory? Probably not. Polymarket’s odds of PL winning the election are identical to those of Germany beating Curaçao at the World Cup. 

While there are frustrations about daily life and Government systems and a general sense of political stasis, there is little feeling that the country is in crisis mode.

The Government’s ability to shield the country from the worst of the global shocks to the energy market, while at the same time maintaining economic growth and reducing the deficit, has rightly earned it a lot of credit. 

Robert Abela has got it right that people seek stability in times of uncertainty, and at the end of the day this will probably be what the election will come down to.

However, it is is refreshing to hear politicians debate the future of Hurd’s Bank and the pros and cons of a baby bond versus a baby grant, rather than the negative qualities of their opponents.

Alex Borg has managed to change the PN’s mentality, from a focus on why people shouldn’t vote for PL to a focus on why people should vote for them. 

Parties challenging each other with new, interesting proposals and expanding the marketplace of ideas can only be good for Malta, and the PN should maintain its new strategy regardless of the final result. 

Cover photo: Partit Nazzjonalista